Oscars 2009!

The tables were set:






The 2009 tote-board in place:






The red carpet was rolled out, and we awaited our guests!




Our lovely paparrazza, Sophia Faller (on the right), and her friend Mia Davis, took the guests' coats on arrival, gave them their ballots, and collected their dollars!




First to arrive were Jim and Llouise Altes with the "Slum Dog Millionaire" appetizers!





Next came "Eric von Marchbein" - silent movie director - resplendent in his jodhpurs and riding boots




Father Bill Feeney




Jan Boyd and Bill Erickson



Barbara Lebeau, wearing a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir



Father Lou Vallone in his Steelers-wear:




"Slumdog" Hilary Chiz!



Barbara's husband, Tom Aspel



Jeanne Clark, with a car full of beer and champagne!



Tod Faller, parking valet, technical master, furniture mover, majordomo and factotum


The candles are lit and we start off with our "Slumdog Millionaire" appetizers - curried nut mix and pappadams with three sauces!




Robin Alexander (on left) and Polly Halfkenny (adjusting her "Revolutionary Road" hat in the mirror) arrive just in time with "The Reader" salad!



Perfect, Polly!



Following Polly's dramatic reading of the recipe, and Robin's artful tableside preparation, we were treated to "The Reader" salad - featuring poached pears, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese and toasted pine nuts! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm



Time for the Benjamin Button entree - New Orleans Jambalaya!



The diners await Hilary Chiz's "Frost/Nixon" citrus sorbet -


artfully arranged by Julie Leonardsson in a custom-made mold of Nixon's head



"Was that the dessert?" wonders Jeanne Clark



No! Just the palate cleanser. Dessert is courtesy of "MILK" - Julie's lovely Creme Caramel -




CHAMPAGNE!



and now, on to the Oscars!



From the beginning, Tom is out front!



von Marchbein looks strangely confident!



Hilary says, "Has anyone noticed that Tom has gotten them ALL right so far!!!"


Tom ponders: "Should I invest my winnings in stocks, bonds, commodities?"




And the winner is - SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE!!



And the winner of the 2009 Oscars' Sweepstakes is Tom!His score - a whopping 18 out of 24 - 75% correct! amazing! (click on the image to enlarge... Tom's score is on the bottom row!

FEBRUARY 2009 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - VOLUME 4, #11

IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS

Newport, OR
Salem, OR
Tallahassee, FL
Gainesville, FL
Jacksonville, FL
St. Augustine, FL
Orange City, FL
Jacksonville, FL
N Miami, FL
Deerfield Beach, FL
Miami, FL
Ft Myers, FL
Sarasota, FL
Ft Myers, FL
Elkhart, IN
Effingham, IL
get all the details on these gigs at the end of this newsletter, or continuously updating at http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html


Hugs to all of you fellow travelers from lovely Portand, Oregon!

Thanks so much for signing up for my once-a-month email news - The Fellow Travelers' Advisory. It's the best, and really, the only way I have of staying in touch with all the wonderful folks I meet in my travels. It may seem impersonal, but I promise you that a very real person (me) is working hard every month to find items that will interest, inspire and amuse you. If you write back - and I hope you do - I answer.



This tour started in Watsonville, CA with my friend Amy Newell organizing a great concert at the SEIU local hall there, and continued north. The day before the always-wonderful Western Workers' Labor Heritage Festival started, my husband and I went with Karen Newman to Coit Tower, where we were paid a surprise visit by the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill!

The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill - photographed by Karen Newman at Coit Tower


I had a wonderful visit with Joanna Robinson in Nevada City, and she took me to see the Hospitality House that she and Utah Phillips helped to found - I'm SOOOOOOOOOO glad we raised some money for this most worthy organization! I visited high school pal Rita Roxas in Sacramento, and we watched the inauguration together. I stopped to visit FW "Baltimore Red" at his fabulous new railroaders' retreat in Black Butte, OR.









A packed house was waiting for me at the People's Inaugural "Obama Pajama Party" at the Siskyou Pub in Ashland, OR - (Photo courtesy of Wes Brain)



At Kate & Dave's house in Astoria - organized by Carol Newman (photo by Paxton)

Certainly one of the highlights of this tour of the Northwest (and the great Canadian Southwest...) was spending so much time with the fabulous Rebel Voices - my dear friends, Janet Stecher and Susan Lewis. To have such celestial three part harmony at 8 shows was a thrill!






After-the-gig party in Portland with Sisters in the Brotherhood! (Photo from Melina Harris)


Unfortunately, I also got pretty sick on this tour - stomach crud - and I fell at least a week behind on my email and data entry ... and I'm several days late on this newsletter. I head back to Pittsburgh on Sunday, and look forward to a couple weeks rest and recuperation at home before heading to the Sunshine State for March. I'm sure that my hometown is a very happy place after the Steelers' Super Bowl victory.

David Rovics and I are talking about an October tour of the Midwest and possibly FLORIDA, March 2010 - If you're interested in hosting a show on that tour, get in touch.

As always, you can get my CDs at http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid - and I hope that you'll do that, if you haven't already.

Here's the news - thanks for reading!

Love and solidarity (and NATIONAL HEALTH CARE NOW!!!)

Anne

IN THIS ISSUE:

COME TO IRELAND WITH ME!
TOM GEOGHEGAN FOR CONGRESS
NATIONAL HEALTH CARE!
FAMILY NEWS
BIRTHDAYS
WHY NOT A MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE!
SOAW SIX SENTENCED!
FLORIDA TOUR! A COUPLE DATES STILL AVAILABLE!
THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT WILL END CIVILIZATION - JOKE OF THE MONTH
OSCARS DINNER
THE TOUR



COME TO IRELAND WITH ME! AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 3RD - GALWAY, DUBLIN, CLARE






Seats are filling fast with wonderful folks for this tour of Ireland. If you'd like to see Ireland someday, why wait? Join me and 18 other like-minded exciting funny activists for an unforgettable tour of the Emerald Isle. This very affordable trip will include beautiful county Galway, historic Dublin, and the amazing music and scenery of County Clare. The fifty folks who went to Ireland with me last year will all testify - it's a great experience. For $1950 we'll provide all accommodations for nine nights, all ground transportation, all breakfasts, three wonderful dinners, many special events and the best Irish music you'll ever hear! The pace is Irish ... no early mornings, some time for yourself, and many opportunities for authentic Irish experiences unavailable on other tours. Check out http://enchantedwaytours.ie and drop me a line if you'd like to join me. You'll be very welcome. Your first deposit must be received by March 1st.


Tom Geoghegan for Congress

My friend Tom Geogheghan is seeking Rahm Emmanuel's Congressional seat in Illinois. Maybe you read his book "Which Side Are You On?" - Tom is brilliant, witty, and just what we need in Congress. Please send him some money. I did. http://www.geogheganforcongress.com/


NATIONAL HEALTH CARE NOW!!

My many Swedish, Canadian, Irish, British and Danish subscribers probably shake their heads that we can't solve this crucial problem simply and efficiently as they have - I welcome all your commments!

Just before I started this tour of the northwest, I was invited to perform at the Labor for Single Payer meeting in St. Louis. One hundred fifty nine labor activists from all over the country converged to discuss how to keep a full fledged single payer health care program on our national agenda.

What does 'single-payer' mean? It means that the government will process payments for medical bills. Currently Medicare remains the most cost-efficient billing program in the country. (This is despite many terible recent initiatives from the private sector that have made Medicare less effective.)

This is not "government-run" health care - You'd be able to see the doctor of your choice, and follow the treatment that doctor recommends - The bills would go to the national health care system and your doctor would be paid.

Everyone is covered. No problems with "pre-existing" conditions. No problem if you change jobs, or move, or get pregnant. All services are covered.

There are so many misconceptions and so much misinformation out there, I'm going to devote part of each 2009 Fellow Travelers' Advisory to dispelling the corporate/insurance-funded mythology. Here are

Reasons Why a Massachusetts-Style Mandates Program Won't Work

1. As long as we include private for-profit insurers in the mix, universal coverage will be unaffordable. These companies refuse to insure sick people and force them off their rolls, spiking the cost of any public programs.

2. Many people who have insurance now can't afford to get sick. Many people are paying more and more premium and out-of-pocket costs forcing them to decide between health care and food or housing.

3. Mandate-style programs do nothing to regulate premiums, or require insurance companies to pay for necessary services.

4. Employers currently providing coverage would continue be under a disadvantage competing with Canadian and other companies whose employees receive health care from the government.

5. We'd still be paying for the costs of advertising, union-busting and other non-health related activities that private insurance and pharmaceutical spend billions of our health care dollars on.

6. We know many people do not carry auto insurance - even in states with mandatory auto insurance laws. What are we going to do to people who do not have health insurance? Fine them? Jail them? Let them get sick? Who decides how much of a premium the uninsured should pay in a mandates system?

7. There will be no accountability in a mandates program. Who will require insurers to pay for mammograms, or immunizations, or preventive care?

8. Administrative costs currently consume nearly one-third of every health care dollar.

9. A public, non-profit system will respond to what doctors and patients need - not what corporate executives and their stockholders want.

10. A public, non-profit health care system covering ALL of us would create millions of sustainable jobs in this troubled economy. Finally providing health care to our 47 million uninsured will improve public health dramatically.

The only plan that addresses these issues successfully is House Resolution 676. It currently has 93 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

Here's the list http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00676:@@@P - If your Congressional Rep isn't on the list, call 202-224-3121 and ask him/her why s/he isn't sponsoring this important legislation.

Here are a couple more links to check out. More next month.

http://www.calnurses.org/research/pdfs/ihsp_sp_economic_study_2009.pdf
http://www.calnurses.org/healthcare3/assets/pdf/singlepayer_top10.pdf


FAMILY NEWS

My son Dan Berlin and his wife Monique Murad are safely ensconced in Quito, Ecuador for the next two years. Dan is posting a blog at http://www.balancingtheegg.blogspot.com/ -- check it out!



Dan's buddies Mike and Dionna Hatch moved to India with their baby Max, seen here modeling his "Power to the Little People" shirt, available from Northland Poster Collective



My folk music family suffered a terrible loss on January 7, 2008 when our friend and mentor Victor Heyman died. He was a total folk music fan, and put his heart and money into supporting folk music and musicians. Thanks to his generous spirit and selfless genius at database management, Victor provided folk alliance attendees for years with impeccable tables to guide us through the over-scheduled weekends with ease. His wonderful wife, partner and sweetheart - Reba Heyman - continues as a cherished member of our folk family. My heart breaks for her and the Heyman family.

Working class hero Ed Sadlowski is recovering at home following major surgery. I'm sure he'd welcome your cards and warm wishes.

Ed Sadlowski
10709 S Avenue F
Chicago, IL 60617-6709

His son Ed is up to his ass in alligators with UHW in California, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with another working class hero, Sal Roselli.

I'm so sorry I didn't let everyone know about my talented cousin Sean McCahill's fabulous acoustic guitar arrangements of Christmas carols in time for the season... but check them out and talk him into releasing this as a cd! It's excellent!
www.myspace.com/guitarcarols

BIRTHDAYS
Ryan Grefenstette - Feb 7th, Joe McCahill - Feb 15th, Benjamin McCahill's first birthday! Feb 21st, Ross Chapman - Feb 24th, Barney McElhone - Feb 26th, Shirley Shultz Myers, Mar 1st, Mary McCahill Madera - Mar 1st


WHY NOT A MINISTER OF ARTS AND CULTURE?

Ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues.
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif (from Henry Doktorski)

Here's a link to a speech on the power of music by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory. (It's long, but worth it...)
http://fellow-travelers-advisory.blogspot.com/2009/02/power-of-music.html




SOAW SIX SENTENCED

on January 26, six human rights advocates appeared in a federal courthouse in Georgia. The "SOA 6," ranging in age from 21 to 68, were found "guilty" of carrying the protest against the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) onto the Fort Benning military base. The six were among the thousands who gathered on November 22 and 23, 2008 outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia to demand a change in U.S. policy towards Latin America and the closure of the SOA/WHINSEC.

The "SOA 6" spoke out clearly and powerful in court today. They made a compelling case for the closure of the school and creation of a culture of justice and peace, where there is no place for the SOA mindset that promotes military "solutions" to social and economic problems. The six spent the weekend preparing for their trials with a team of lawyers, legal workers and volunteers, and today they stood up for all of us working for a more just world.

The "SOA 6":
Father Luis Barrios, 56, from North Bergen, NJ, was sentenced to 2 months in federal prison and a $250 fine
Theresa Cusimano, 40, Denver, Colorado, found guilty and awaiting sentencing
Kristin Holm, from Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 2 months in federal prison and a $250 fine
Sr. Diane Pinchot, OSU, 63, from Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 2 months in federal prison
Al Simmons, 64, from Richmond, Virginia, was sentenced to 2 months in federal prison
Louis Wolf, 68, from Washington, DC, found guilty and awaiting sentencing

From February 15-17 School of the Americas Watch is planning activities in Washington, DC. Read how to support these actions on their website.



FLORIDA!! DATES STILL AVAILABLE!!

Still looking for Saturday, March 14th near Miami, and March 18th and 19th (Wed and Thu) - If you have any ideas, please let me know!



THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT WILL END CIVILIZATION - JOKE OF THE MONTH





At least that's what the creeps running Home Depot and the Bank of America think. DO check out this amazing conference call in which these corporate thugs discuss using taxpayer bailout money to fight this simple legislation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/27/bank-of-america-hosted-an_n_161248.html



OSCARS DINNER

I'm gearing up for the annual Oscars party at my house. I think I've got 16 for dinner this year. We'll be having

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE APPETIZERS - pappadams & mint chutney, somozas, etc
THE READER SALAD - a tableside salad preparation while the recipe is being read aloud
BENJAMIN BUTTON JAMBALAYA - available in vegetarian and carnivorous versions
FROST/NIXON CITRUS SORBET in the shape of Nixon's head (Julie's still pondering this request... I hope to have a photo for next month! and then....)
HARVEY "MILK" CREME CARAMEL

It was a great year for movies. I'm predicting Benjamin Button for Best Film, Mickey Rourke Best Actor (although this category is amazing - great performances one and all!), Meryl Streep Best Actress and Director Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire, Supporting Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Supporting Actress Amy Adams. I hear FROZEN RIVER is terrific - I'm looking for it. I haven't seen Revolutionary Road yet either.

THE TOUR

Friday, February 6th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
South Beach Community Center
Newport, OR
Price: $10
contact Akia at akia(@)peak.org

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 6:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Salem House Concerts
Salem, OR
503-378-7704
http://home.teleport.com/~blueman/
Price: $12/$20 w dinner
Marc Nassar is the contact - blueman(@)teleport.com


Thursday, March 5th, 2009 8:00 PM
Concert and Pot Luck!
Imaginary Fool's Juggling, Singing and Gourmet Supper Club
Tallahassee, FL
850-878-4149
Price: $10 suggested
call or email wbroderson(@)hotmail.com to make reservations and get directions.... I *love* this venue ... It's soooooooo much fun!


Friday, March 6th, 2009 8:30 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
The NEW Civic Media Center
433 S Main St
Gainesville, FL
Price: $10
gainesvilleiguana(@)cox.net


Saturday, March 7th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St Augustine
2487 A1A South and Florida Avenue
St Augustine, FL 32605
Price: $10-20 suggested


Sunday, March 8th, 2009 3:00 PM
Mosaic Unitarian Universalist Church
425 S Volusia Ave (17-92)
Orange City, FL 32774
http://mosaicuu.org/
jsdupree(@)hotmail.com


Thursday, March 12th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
UNF Campus
Jacksonville, FL
ccarter(@)unf.edu - Candice Carter is the contact


Friday, March 13th, 2009 8:00 PM
Countdown to St Patrick's Day Concert!
Luna Star Cafe
775 NE 125th St
North Miami, FL 33161
http://www.lunastarcafe.com
Price: $15
In addition to my regular repertoire, look for lots of wonderful Irish songs too!


Saturday, March 14th, 2009 10:00 AM
Deerfield Beach Progressive Forum - 10AM - 12 Noon
Century Village, Deerfield Beach Activities Center
Deerfield Beach, FL
bobbende(@)gmail.com is the contact

Saturday, March 14th, 2009 7:30 PM
Bailout the People! Anne Feeney in Concert
Society of Friends (Quakers) Meeting House
823 North A St.
Lake Worth, FL
561-330-9016
Price: $10-20 sliding




Sunday, March 15th, 2009 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Glades Edge House Concerts
Miami area, FL
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=108478112
Price: $15
shadow83blk(@)comcast.net
There is a potluck at 6PM


Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 8:00 PM
St Patrick's Day Celebration
Ft Myers, FL
laura griffin is the contact - swflagirl(@)aol.com


Friday, March 20th, 2009 7:30 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Mother's Musical Bakery
6525 Superior Ave
Sarasota, FL
Price: $10-20 suggested
come early! I'll start at 7:30 sharp!


Saturday, March 21st, 2009 8:00 PM
Music for Union Agitators and their Friends!
tba
Ft Myers, FL
Laura Griffin is the contact - swflagirl(@)sol.com


Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 8:00 PM
90th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire (tentative)
Cooper Union
New York, NY
(I can't find my contact information on this gig... Is anyone on this list involved with this event???? get in touch with me!)



Sunday, March 29th, 2009 8:00 PM
UU Fellowship of Cleveland Heights
UU Society of Cleveland
2728 Lancashire Road
Cleveland Heights, OH
216.932.1898
http://uusocietyofcleveland.tripod.com/index.html

The Power of Music

Music can, no less than, save the planet. Here’s an eloquent attempt to describe the power of music by Karl Paulnack, pianist and director of music division at Boston Conservatory. (It's long, but worth it...)

“One of my parents’ deepest fears, I suspect, is that society would not properly value me as a musician, that I wouldn’t be appreciated. I had very good grades in high school, I was good in science and math, and they imagined that as a doctor or a research chemist or an engineer, I might be more appreciated than I would be as a musician. I still remember my mother’s remark when I announced my decision to apply to music school—she said, “you’re WASTING your SAT scores.” On some level, I think, my parents were not sure themselves what the value of music was, what its purpose was. And they LOVED music, they listened to classical music all the time. They just weren’t really clear about its function. So let me talk about that a little bit, because we live in a society that puts music in the “arts and entertainment” section of the newspaper, and serious music, the kind your kids are about to engage in, has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with entertainment, in fact it’s the opposite of entertainment. Let me talk a little bit about music, and how it works.

The first people to understand how music really works were the ancient Greeks. And this is going to fascinate you; the Greeks said that music and astronomy were two sides of the same coin. Astronomy was seen as the study of relationships between observable, permanent, external objects, and music was seen as the study of relationships between invisible, internal, hidden objects. Music has a way of finding the big, invisible moving pieces inside our hearts and souls and helping us figure out the position of things inside us. Let me give you some examples of how this works.

One of the most profound musical compositions of all time is the Quartet for the End of Time written by French composer Olivier Messiaen in 1940. Messiaen was 31 years old when France entered the war against Nazi Germany. He was captured by the Germans in June of 1940, sent across Germany in a cattle car and imprisoned in a concentration camp.

He was fortunate to find a sympathetic prison guard who gave him paper and a place to compose. There were three other musicians in the camp, a cellist, a violinist, and a clarinetist, and Messiaen wrote his quartet with these specific players in mind. It was performed in January 1941 for four thousand prisoners and guards in the prison camp. Today it is one of the most famous masterworks in the repertoire.

Given what we have since learned about life in the concentration camps, why would anyone in his right mind waste time and energy writing or playing music? There was barely enough energy on a good day to find food and water, to avoid a beating, to stay warm, to escape torture—why would anyone bother with music? And yet—from the camps, we have poetry, we have music, we have visual art; it wasn’t just this one fanatic Messiaen; many, many people created art. Why? Well, in a place where people are only focused on survival, on the bare necessities, the obvious conclusion is that art must be, somehow, essential for life. The camps were without money, without hope, without commerce, without rec reation, without basic respect, but they were not without art. Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, “I am alive, and my life has meaning.”

On September 12, 2001 I was a resident of Manhattan. That morning I reached a new understanding of my art and its relationship to the world. I sat down at the piano that morning at 10 AM to practice as was my daily routine; I did it by force of habit, without thinking about it. I lifted the cover on the keyboard, and opened my music, and put my hands on the keys and took my hands off the keys. And I sat there and thought, does this even matter? Isn’t this completely irrelevant? Playing the piano right now, given what happened in this city yesterday, seems silly, absurd, irreverent, pointless. Why am I here? What place has a musician in this moment in time? Who needs a piano player right now? I was completely lost.

And then I, along with the rest of New York, went through the journey of getting through that week. I did not play the piano that day, and in fact I contemplated briefly whether I would ever want to play the piano again. And then I observed how we got through the day.

At least in my neighborhood, we didn’t shoot hoops or play Scrabble. We didn’t play cards to pass the time, we didn’t watch TV, we didn’t shop, we most certainly did not go to the mall. The first organized activity that I saw in New York, that same day, was singing. People sang. People sang around fire houses, people sang “We Shall Overcome”. Lots of people sang America the Beautiful. The first organized public event that I remember was the Brahms Requiem, later that week, at Lincoln Center, with the New York Philharmonic. The first organized public expression of grief, our first communal response to that historic event, was a concert. That was the beginning of a sense that life might go on. The US Military secured the airspace, but recovery was led by the arts, and by music in particular, that very night.

From these two experiences, I have come to understand that music is not part of “arts and entertainment” as the newspaper section would have us believe. It’s not a luxury, a lavish thing that we fund from leftovers of our budgets, not a plaything or an amusement or a pass time. Music is a basic need of human survival. Music is one of the ways we make sense of our lives, one of the ways in which we express feelings when we have no words, a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can8 0t with our minds.

Some of you may know Samuel Barber’s heartwrenchingly beautiful piece Adagio for Strings. If you don’t know it by that name, then some of you may know it as the background music which accompanied the Oliver Stone movie Platoon, a film about the Vietnam War. If you know that piece of music either way, you know it has the ability to crack your heart open like a walnut; it can make you cry over sadness you didn’t know you had. Music can slip beneath our conscious reality to get at what’s really going on inside us the way a good therapist does.

I bet that you have never been to a wedding where there was absolutely no music. There might have been only a little music, there might have been some really bad music, but I bet you there was some music. And something very predictable happens at weddings—people get all pent up with all kinds of emotions, and then there’s some musical moment where the action of the wedding stops and someone sings or plays the flute or something. And even if the music is lame, even if the quality isn’t good, predictably 30 or 40 percent of the people who are going to cry at a wedding cry a couple of moments after the music starts. Why? The Greeks. Music allows us to move around those big invisible pieces of ourselves and rearrange our insides so that we can express what we feel even when we can’t talk about it. Can you imagine watching Indiana Jones or Superman or Star Wars with the dialogue but no music? What is it about the music swelling up at just the right moment in ET so that all the softies in the audience start crying at exactly the same moment? I guarantee you if you showed the movie with the music stripped out, it wouldn’t happen that way. The Greeks: Music is the understanding of the relationship between invisible internal objects.

I’ll give you one more example, the story of the most important concert of my life. I must tell you I have played a little less than a thousand concerts in my life so far. I have played in places that I thought were important. I like playing in Carnegie Hall; I enjoyed playing in Paris; it made me very happy to please the critics in St. Petersburg. I have played for people I thought were important; music critics of major newspapers, foreign heads of state. The most important concert of my entire life took place in a nursing home in Fargo, ND, about 4 years ago.

I was playing with a very dear friend of mine who is a violinist. We began, as we often do, with Aaron Copland’s Sonata, which was written during World War II and dedicated to a young friend of Copland’s, a young pilot who was shot down during the war. Now we often talk to our audiences about the pieces we are going to play rather than providing them with written program notes. But in this case, because we began the concert with this piece, we decided to talk about the piece later in the program and to just come out and play the music without explanation.

Midway through the piece, an elderly man seated in a wheelchair near the front of the concert hall began to weep. This man, whom I later met, was clearly a soldier—even in his 70’s, it was clear from his buzz-cut hair, square jaw and general demeanor that he had spent a good deal of his life in the military. I thought it a little bit odd that someone would be moved to tears by that particular movement of that particular piece, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve heard crying in a concert and we went on with the concert and finished the piece.

When we came out to play the next piece on the program, we decided to talk about both the first and second pieces, and we described the circumstances in which the Copland was written and mentioned its dedication to a downed pilot. The man in the front of the audience became so disturbed that he had to leave the auditorium. I honestly figured that we would not see him again, but he did come backstage afterwards, tears and all, to explain himself.

What he told us was this: “During World War II, I was a pilot, and I was in an aerial combat situation where one of my team’s planes was hit. I watched my friend bail out, and watched his parachute open, but the Japanese planes which had engaged us returned and machine gunned across the parachute chords so as to separate the parachute from the pilot, and I watched my friend drop away into the ocean, realizing that he was lost. I have not thought about this for many years, but during that first piece of music you played, this memory returned to me so vividly that it was as though I was reliving it. I didn’t understand why this was happening, why now, but then when you came out to explain that this piece of music was written to commemorate a lost pilot, it was a little more than I could handle. How does the music do that? How did it find those feelings and those memories in me?”
Remember the Greeks: music is the study of invisible relationships between internal objects. This concert in Fargo was the most important work I have ever done. For me to play for this old soldier and help him connect, somehow, with Aaron Copland, and to connect their memories of their lost friends, to help him remember and mourn his friend, this is my work. This is why music matters.

What follows is part of the talk I will give to this year’s freshman class when I welcome them a few days from now. The responsibility I will charge your sons and daughters with is this:

“If we were a medical school, and you were here as a med student practicing appendectomies, you’d take your work very seriously because you would imagine that some night at two AM someone is going to waltz into your emergency room and you’re going to have to save their life. Well, my friends, someday at 8 PM someone is going to walk into your concert hall and bring you a mind that is confused, a heart that is overwhelmed, a soul that is weary. Whether they go out whole again will depend partly on how well you do your craft.

You’re not here to become an entertainer, and you don’t have to sell yourself. The truth is you don’t have anything to sell; being a musician isn’t about dispensing a product, like selling used Chevies. I’m not an entertainer; I’m a lot closer to a paramedic, a firefighter, a rescue worker. You’re here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul, a spiritual version of a chiropractor, physical therapist, someone who works with our insides to see if they get things to line up, to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well.

Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I expect you not only to master music; I expect you to save the planet. If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don’t expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that’s what we do. As in the concentration camp and the evening of 9/11, the artists are the ones who might be able to help us with our internal, invisible lives.”

JANUARY 2009 - Anne Feeney's Year in Review - VOLUME 4, #10

VIDEO FROM A SHOW FOR "ARTISTS FOR PEACE" IN DENMARK THIS SUMMER

FELLOW TRAVELERS' ADVISORY YEAR IN REVIEW 2008

IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:

ST. LOUIS, MO
WATSONVILLE, CA
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
PALO ALTO, CA
SAN MATEO, CA
ASHLAND, OR
DEADWOOD, OR
ASTORIA, OR
PORTLAND, OR
OLYMPIA, WA
VANCOUVER, BC
VICTORIA, BC
SALT SPRING, BC
SEATTLE, WA
BELLINGHAM, WA
SALEM, OR
complete information at the bottom of this message and continuously updating at http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html



Special Year-in-Review Issue
Featuring:

QUICK NOTES
IRELAND 2009
HELP with the NORTHWEST TOUR
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
SOME LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
FAMILY NEWS
2008 MOVIES - My Top Ten so far (and some losers!)
SIX SUGGESTIONS AS 2008 DRAWS TO A CLOSE
THE TOUR


First: a couple quick notes...

Thanks to everyone who bought CDs in response to my December newsletter... Over 30 of you responded... I deeply appreciate it!

And if you've been meaning to buy my cds... there are still plenty left at http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid

***************************
Also:

I spoke a couple days ago to Joanna Robinson, Utah Phillips' wife. Unfortunately, the envelope full of checks from the tribute concert never arrived in Nevada City. I have sent another $600 check representing the cash contributions, and Hilary and Nick will resend their personal checks... but if you gave me a check at the
Utah Phillips tribute concert, it appears to have been destroyed in the mail...

It would be great if (all of) you could send a check to the Hospitality House for the homeless, founded by Utah Phillips, to honor his life and work:

HOSPITALITY HOUSE
PO BOX 3223
GRASS VALLEY, CA 95945

or donate securely online at:

http://www.hospitalityhouseshelter.org/

Ask them to notify Joanna that the contribution
was made:

Joanna Robinson
Box 1235
Nevada City, CA 95959

*********************************************

IRELAND: AUGUST 25-SEPTEMBER 3 ONLY

As I took stock of what I loved and hated about 2008 I realized that I *LOVE* taking folks to Ireland but I *HATE* talking them into it. So I'm only going to do one trip next year - 20 seats only - August 25- September 3, 2009. It'll be a new tour that includes the best of the west as well as a visit to Dublin! I hope twenty of you will decide to come very soon. Email me at anne@annefeeney.com to save seats.

My friend Sharon Simon from the National Labor College is coming, as is the amazing feminist scholar and peaceworker, Betty Reardon... My groups are awesome!
This trip should fill up quickly. Please drop me an email if you're interested in going to Ireland with me. Visit http://www.annefeeney.com/Pages/enchantedwaytours.html or http://enchantedwaytours.ie for more information.


********************************************

HELP with the Northwest Tour

I'm still looking for some dates to fill in on my upcoming tour of CA, OR, WA & BC...
If you'd like to host a show (it's easier than you think!), please take a look at http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html

In particular I'm looking for -

anything in the SF Bay Area Jan 12th-15th
San Francisco, Sacramento, Grass Valley or Humboldt on Jan 19th
Tacoma, WA - JAN 25th
Feb 2nd-6th between Bellingham and Salem


********************************************
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!
2008 - GOOD RIDDANCE!!! THE YEAR IN REVIEW

Well, the Bush years finally come to an end - The End of an Error - with the most vicious "maim duck" president ever (thanks to Gary Huck for that one!) still at the helm. He's slashing women's rights, ruining the environment, and sittling idly by as hundred die in Gaza - while he makes up his list of scurrilous pardons.

If it weren't for you - my friends and family - the hardworking activists who *never* give up - I would lose hope. But you keep on... and I'm going to take a few paragraphs to thank you all here at the end of this very long year.

Even though I spent a good part of the year touring in Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and Canada, I still did shows in nineteen of these United States. I expect to spend more time in the US in 2009.

I'm grateful to the Labor Center at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for renewing my grant so that I can continue my research and writing about my grandfather in 2009.

I'm grateful to Tom Pigott and to the fifty wonderful friends who went with me to Ireland this past year. The trips were unforgettable. Getting so much time in Ireland in 2008 did my heart a world of good. I hope some of you will join me this year.

I'm grateful to Fredrik Gleisner of Goatbridge Productions for being my agent in Sweden this summer and finding me so much amazing work. It was an unforgettable memory to play the Trastock Festival near the Arctic Circle this summer. I look forward to working with him again in 2009.

I'm grateful to my dear friend Gerd Berlev and her family. Her hospitality in Copenhagen is unparalleled, and her commitment to peace and justice is awesome.

I'm grateful to my friend Jerry Starr for writing such an important play about SAGO, and for allowing me to contribute music to his work and participate in its presentation. He and Judy are in my heart and my thoughts as Jerry battles a very advanced and aggressive cancer.

I'm grateful to all the people who ponied up $100 to help me get DUMP THE BOSSES OFF YOUR BACK out this year. And I'm grateful to all the musicians who performed so beautifully on it - especially Commander Cody, the Austin Lounge Lizards, Emma's Revolution, and Anne Weiss.

I'm so grateful to all the people who presented me in concert and organized conferences, rallies and riots and let me be a part of it! I'm so grateful to all the people who welcomed me into their homes.

My colleagues enriched my life beyond measure this year... What a joy to work with Roy Zimmerman, Emma's Revolution, Holly Near, Wishing Chair, Chris Chandler, the Prince Myshkins, Evan Greer, Charlie King and Karen Brandow, Laura Love, Joe Jencks, Rebel Voices, Jan Hammarlund, Micael Castor, Carrie Newcomer, Oliver Steck, Geno Gottschall, George Mann & Julius Margolin, Elise Witt, Maurice Turner, Tracey Walker, Peter Siegel, Jay Mankita, Addie & Olin, Lou & Peter Berryman, Larry Penn, Terri Roben, Doug Wilkin, Sue Powers, Jack Erdie, Sue Gartland, Robert Wagner, Bruce Hoffman, David King, The Torres Sister, Sheila Liming, Roger Day, Ole Rolf Lassen, Helge Larsen, Tommy Hovgaard Nielsen, Kirsten Gramm Mogensen, Anne Hills, Brett Perkins, David Rovics, Brian QTN, Adam & Kris, David Rovics, Ken & Janet Bates, Smokestack Lightning, David HB Drake, Bill and Eli Perras, Laura Daniels, Magda Hiller and Four Shillings Short - and anyone I forgot to mention - thanks for your work! It was a pleasure!

This is a time of year to remember dear friends no longer with us - Tim Sullivan, Anne McLemore, Peter Kastner, Kathleen Kennedy, Emma Bursik, Jerry Yoest, Frances Courtsal, Utah Phillips, Studs Terkel, Miriam Makeba and Odetta, and be grateful for all that they brought to our lives.

It's a time to remember people out on the picket lines at Conn- Selmer http://www.connselmerstrike.com, Heartland Health Care (see below), for example. Let's get the Employee Free Choice Act passed in 2009.

So long to the lousiest, most corrupt, most lawless and evil government the United States has ever known!

It is a time to look forward with the wonderful new arrivals - Benjamin McCahill, Mason Avery Gailiunas, Della Belmont McCahill and Romina Idalia Wright... and salute the unflagging spirit of Pete Seeger, Alice Hoffman, Julius Margolin, Phyllis Wetherby, Faith Petric, Stetson Kennedy, Joyce Kornbluh and so many more ...

It's a time to look forward to a 2009 filled with exciting action! The inauguration of our first African-American president - Barack Obama!!! A serious campaign to end the war!!! National Health Care NOW!! There is so much to do, and this is a great time to be doing it.

You mean so much to me. Thank you for being part of my life, my family, my work and our struggle for a better world!

Here's to a happy and hellraising 2009!

Love

Anne

____________________________________________

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT:

http://www.nrdc.org/onearth/03spr/coal1.asp - Find out about this gigantic environmental disaster in KY!!

Listen to music from my Swedish touring buddy, Jan Hammarlund http://cdbaby.com/cd/janhammarlund and visit his English website - http://janhammarlund.se/english.html


____________________________________________


FAMILY NEWS

My children bring me more joy than I can measure. Dan's wonderful wife Monique is a spectacular addition to our family. I will miss them terribly when they leave for Quito, Ecuador in a few days, but I know they will be doing important work. My daughter Amy is such a healer, and wise far beyond her years. It gives me great happiness to see her settled into her cozy new home in San Marcos.

I'm so blessed to have true love in my life too. My husband will be joining me at the Western Workers' Labor Heritage Festival this year. I'm so happy.

My household was blessed this June with the addition of my housemate Tod Faller's lovely 15 year old daughter Sophia. It's been great having a youngster in the house.

BIRTHDAYS ----

Mark Rauterkus Jan 1, Lauren Grefenstette Jan 8, Jesse Dalton Jan 10, Chris Chandler Jan 16, Jim Marks, Jan 16, Shannon Metcalfe Jan 16, Blanka Engstrom Jan 16, (Happy Anniversary Kelly & Charles Warren Jan 25), Tom Weldon (the younger) Jan 27, Art Deckard Jan 29, Ed McCahill Jan 29, Maryellen Hayden January 31


____________________________________________



MOVIES

It's too early to make my Oscar picks... still too many films I haven't seen... here are my favorite 10 so far from 2008 -

1. The best film I've seen in 2008 is probably BENJAMIN BUTTON. It's a fantastic story, beautiful to watch, with great performances. Kate Blanchett is breathtaking.

2. DOUBT was fabulous as well - but you might have had to grow up Catholic when I did to fully appreciate it... some of the very authentic detail might not ring at all true for people who didn't live it. All the acting in this film is superb.

3. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is a terrific film. Like CRASH, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE sets up a highly impossible premise in order to allow the characters to speak uncomfortable truths. It is simultaneously quite touching and highly entertaining. I highly recommend it.

4. CHANGELING was an absorbing film - a great true story, well told - but I swear Angelina Jolie's lips grow during the film to where they take up half the screen.

5. If you get a chance, catch THE BAND'S VISIT. I saw this charming film in my local theater earlier this year, but I see it's available on demand on many cable services.

6. MILK took a while to reel me in, but it ended up being an extremely satisfying film with a fabulous performance by Sean Penn.

7. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN - a horror/drama from Sweden is a wonderful film. The young boy, Oskar, who is the protagonist of the film is the subject of bullying and abuse. Over the course of the film, the gratuitous violence of the bullies seems much more objectionable than the occasional murders committed by the charming young vampire girl Oskar befriends. Bravo!

8. Oliver Stone's W is probably his best film to date.. the most nuanced and complex... Richard Dreyfuss as Dick Cheyney is scary.

9. SYNECHDOCHE, NY is a cool film, but if you've seen BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ADAPTATION and THE ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND you're likely to start thinking of director Charlie Kaufman as an old friend who's brilliant, but took a little too much acid and always wants to tell you these long, incredibly complex stories. A fine film, but not Kaufman's best. (ADAPTATION is my personal favorite.)

10. BOY A is a very compelling drama about a young man released from prison after spending most of his life behind bars for murdering a child when he was, himself, a child. You can find it on Netflix and pay-per-view

Still looking forward to FROST/NIXON, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, DARK KNIGHT, THE READER, A CHRISTMAS TALE and many more... In fact, I'm going to have to rent WALL-E - the reviews are so great I'll have to see what's up with it.

Not on track for an Oscar this year, but just terrific from Netflix is Ken Loach's 2007 offering, IT'S A FREE WORLD.


Watching the over-rated RACHEL GETTING MARRIED was exactly like going to a wedding where you don't know anyone. Anne Hathaway was great, but the screenplay (if there was one - some times I felt like the whole film was being improvised) was terrible. GRAN TORINO is certainly not Clint Eastwood's best film - and I found the recurring racial epithets tiresome - but it's worth a look. VALKYRIE is a total loser. It could have been done much better by the history channel.

*********************************************

MY HALF DOZEN END-OF-THE-YEAR GIVING SUGGESTIONS:

(and if 2008 is over when you read this, keep in mind that 2009 will end too!)


1. THE COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS

This tireless group of agitators gets more done for the least powerful than any group I know - and on a shoestring budget! This year they won landmark agreements with Burger King and Subway, and exposed chattel slavery in Florida. They are amazing!

http://ciw-online.org/donate.html

Coalition of Immokalee Workers
P. O. Box 603
Immokalee, FL, 34143

********** ********** **********

2. A FRIEND IN NEED - JOULES GRAVES

My friend and musical colleague, Joules Graves, http://www.joulesgraves.com/ , has been living with MS for a number of years now. Her light hearted and often humorous songs of peace, feminism, spiritual renewal, and environmental protection have inspired many of us for a long time. She's been in a real financial bind lately, and matters got considerably worse recently when she wrecked her car. In the recent storms, Joules skidded out and totalled her little 2-door Honda while driving a homeless person in Bellingham to find shelter with a friend. (No one was hurt.) That's the kind of person she is--willing to help those less fortunate even while she herself needs help. Send cash, checks, keys to a car to:

Joules Graves
PO Box 2391
Bellingham, WA 98227

********** ********** **********

3. DEMOCRACY NOW!

What would we do with Amy Goodman and her team of relentless, ethical and uncompromising researchers?

Listen or watch DN! any time at http://democracynow.org and
give generously at:

http://www.democracynow.org/donate/ye08-splash or

Democracy Now!
ATTN: Samantha Chamblee
100 Lafayette Street, Suite 604
New York, NY 10013

********** ********** **********

4. Founded by Utah Phillips:

HOSPITALITY HOUSE
PO BOX 3223
GRASS VALLEY, CA 95945

or donate securely online at:

http://www.hospitalityhouseshelter.org/

Ask them to notify Joanna that the contribution
was made:

Joanna Robinson
Box 1235
Nevada City, CA 95959


********** ********** **********

5. Heartland Health Care Workers - AFSCME 3474

This is the second holiday season since Local 3494 went on strike in July 2007. When they offered to return to work last July, management locked them out, and they are still on the picket line every day. Don't let the heartless outfit that runs Heartland dampen the holiday spirit of these sisters and brothers who want nothing more than a little respect and some basic fairness.

Send checks, made out to the Council 31 Solidarity Fund, to Heartland Holidays, AFSCME Council 31, PO Box 2328, Springfield, IL 62705-2328.

********** ********** **********


6. Feeney Family Memorial Fund for Study of Irish History, Politics and Culture

I set this fund up when my Dad died in 1987, and have been adding to it slowly. Connie Cohen and I organized a big concert to fund the scholarship fund on Mother's Day of 1994, and several young women have received cash awards to study Irish history, politics and culture.

Chatham College
Feeney Family Memorial Fund
Woodland Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15232

and ask that notification of your gift be sent to:

Anne Feeney
2240 Milligan Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

THE TOUR!!!

Saturday, January 10th, 2009 8:00 PM
Labor Campaign for Single Payer Healthcare
The Crowne Plaza - Downtown St. Louis
200 North 4th Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
http://http://www.laborforsinglepayer.org/
Price: see web page
For Reservations Call 314-621-8200 reference
´National Healthcare Conference´
for Special Room Rates - $100 per night Preview Hotel & Conference Center at - www.crowneplaza.com/stlouisdt


Sunday, January 11th, 2009 6:30 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
SEIU - Watsonville
11 - H Alexander Street
Watsonville, CA 95076
Price: $10-20 suggested
Light refreshments and beverages will be served. Anne's considerable CD catalogue will be available.
Take the main Watsonville exit off Highway One. Proceed into town on Main Street. Turn left at the Plaza, then left again into the parking lot just before Alexander Street, or park on Alexander. If you need further directions, I'll have my cell phone on until 7pm: 588.4305


Jan 12, 13, 14, 15 --- got any ideas??? looking for work here.... rallies, riots, radio shows... you name it...



Friday, January 16th, 2009 5:00 PM
Western Workers' Labor Heritage Festival
IBEW #617 (Electrical Workers)
1701 Leslie St
San Mateo, CA
http://www.docspopuli.org/WesternWorkers.html



Friday, January 16th, 2009 7:30 PM
Anne Feeney and Roy Zimmerman
First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco (TENTATIVE)
San Francisco, CA
412-877-6480 to confirm
Price: $10-20 suggested
I hope this show works out!



Saturday, January 17th, 2009 9:00 AM
Western Workers' Labor Heritage Festival
IBEW #617 (Electrical Workers)
1701 Leslie St
San Mateo, CA
http://www.docspopuli.org/WesternWorkers.html

At 10AM I'll be doing a two hour workshop with Bev Grant and Rebel Voices.. woo hoo! that should be great!
$60 for weekend, $35 for Saturday only.
Concert $15-25, sliding scale.
No one turned away for lack of funds.Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.´s contribution to the civil rights and labor movements


Saturday, January 17th, 2009 7:00 PM
Four Shillings Short in Concert with Special Guest, Anne Feeney!
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF PALO ALTO
505 E. Charleston
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 274-1100
http://www.art.net/~4ss/
Price: $10-20 suggested
Kids free w/paying adult
I'll be opening the show!


Sunday, January 18th, 2009 9:00 AM
Western Workers' Labor Heritage Festival
IBEW #617 (Electrical Workers)
1701 Leslie St
San Mateo, CA
http://www.docspopuli.org/WesternWorkers.html
$60 for weekend, $35 for Saturday only.
Concert $15-25, sliding scale.
No one turned away for lack of funds.Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.´s contribution to the civil rights and labor movements
A weekend of solidarity in an era of war, racism, and hard times.
With Jimmy Collier, Jon Fromer, Roy Zimmerman, Rebel Voices, Bev Grant, Faith Petric, The Diggers and much much more!


Monday, January 19th, 2009 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney House Concert
tba
Palo Alto, CA
412-877-6480 to confirm
Price: $10-20 suggested
I hope this works out, too. My friends Christy Martin and Aodh Óg Ó Tuama are trying to put this together...



Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney Inaugural Party Concert! Celebrate the End of an Error!
Siskyou Pub
31B Water St
Sweat-Free Ashland, OR
541-482-6988
Price: free - your generous donations
Southern OR Jobs with Justice and Southern OR Central Labor Council are co-sponsoring this show!



Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Deadwood Community Center
Deadwood, OR
(541) 964-3420
acricket(@)casco.net is the contact



Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 7:00 PM
Carol hosts a House Concert
Kate's house
Astoria, OR
(503) 458-6837
Price: $10-20 sliding
Carol Newman is the contact...caroltov(@)pacifier.com
light refreshments provided... email carol for reservations and directions



Friday, January 23rd, 2009 7:30 PM
Portland Folksong Society presents Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Carvlin Hall
SE 17th and Division
Portland, OR
http://www.portlandfolkmusic.org/concerts.html
Price: $12
doors at 7 pm, admission: $10 PFS members, $12 Non-Members,
$5 ages 12 to 18, Children under 12 FREE. (Sorry, No Advance Sales)



Saturday, January 24th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices in Concert
Traditions Café and World Folk Art
300 5th Avenue SW
Olympia, WA 98501
360-705-2819
http://www.traditionsfairtrade.com/pages/tradhome.html
Price: $12


Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 8:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Peretz Centre
6184 Ash St
Vancouver, BC V5Z 3G9
Canada
604-325-1812
http://peretz-centre.org


Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 7:30 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Ken Orchard and Sharon Hazelwood's
Victoria, BC
Canada
Price: $15-20 suggested
wy234@victoria.tc.ca for more info

Thursday, January 29th, 2009 7:00 PM
Mayworks Presents Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Joe's Garage
5th St
Courtenay, BC
Canada
http://www.myspace.com/joesgarageon5th
Price: $15 suggested
bcharlton@shaw.ca Brian Charlton is the contact



Friday, January 30th, 2009 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Lions Hall
103 Bonnet Ave
Salt Spring, BC
Canada
(250) 653-9485
Price: $15
Phil Vernon is the contact - philvernon(@)telus.net
Doors open 7:00, 7:30 start
$15 at the door, advance tix available at Salt Spring Books, Acoustic
Planet and Stuff & Nonsense


Saturday, January 31st, 2009 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Carpenters' Hall
2nd and Vine
Seattle, WA
206-524-7753
Price: $10-20 suggested

Sunday, February 1st, 2009 7:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Rebel Voices
Whatcom Peace and Justice Center
100 E Maple Street
Bellingham, WA 98227
(360) 734-0217
http://www.whatcompjc.org/calendar.html
Price: $15 suggested
betsy pernotto is the contact - betsyp(@)openaccess.org


Saturday, February 7th, 2009 6:00 PM
Anne Feeney in Concert
Salem House Concerts
Salem, OR
503-378-7704
http://home.teleport.com/~blueman/
Price: $12/$20 w dinner
Marc Nassar is the contact - blueman(@)teleport.com

Please check http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html for updated information. Always check with the venue before strapping on your roller skates!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

GREAT MUSIC ON SALE!!

I don't know how many of you folks on my list will check here ... but I sent a bad link to my gallery of colleagues at cdbaby...

the correct link is http://cdbaby.com/group/annespicks

happy shopping

DECEMBER 2008 - Anne Feeney’s Fellow Travelers’ Advisory - VOLUME FOUR, #9

IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS:

Kerrville, TX
College Station, TX
San Marcos, TX
Corpus Christi, TX
then on to California, Oregon, Washington and BC!
details below and continuously updating at http://annefeeney.com/calendar.html

IN THIS ISSUE:

TEXAS!
IRELAND 2009 DETAILS - RESERVE NOW!!!
SCHOOL OF THE AMERICAS VIGIL
FOLK LEGEND ODETTA DIES
RNC PROTESTERS FACE RIDICULOUS CHARGES
FAMILY NEWS



December 2nd
Pittsburgh, PA

Hi there



Just packing for Texas and dreaming of Ireland. My Thanksgiving holiday was terrific. I had 13 for a sumptuous dinner, including a free-range, organic, locally grown heirloom turkey. My guests included my partner from Ireland, Tom Pigott. Tom and I have just finished planning the 2009 trips to Ireland and hope you'll join us for one of them.

Please visit http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid today and buy my CDs for the working class heros and sheros in your life. They make great holiday gifts and stocking stuffers!

If this was forwarded to you, you can subscribe to this monthly Fellow Travelers' Advisory by clicking on http://annefeeney.com/newsletter.html


Thanks for all your support for my music and all the great work you've done this year. 2009 is certain to be an exciting improvement!

Love, peace and solidarity

Anne

TEXAS

I hope if you know anyone in Kerrville, College Station, Austin, San Marcos or Corpus Christi that you'll tell them about my Texas tour. I'm so excited to have a trio to tour with. The song, "Dump the Bosses Off Your Back," which is the title track of my new CD, contains the lines:

Are you almost torn asunder?
Loaded like some long-eared jack?
Boob, why don't you buck like thunder and
Dump the bosses off your back!
All the agonies you suffer
You could end with one good WHACK!
Stiffen up you ornery duffer
and Dump the Bosses Off Your Back

I'll be touring with Oliver Steck on accordion and trumpet and his pal Gino Gottschall on tuba... Ornery Duffers to be sure. The instrumentation for this trio will allow us to be part circus band, part marching band, part symphony - and hard-to-miss! I wish I could afford to keep this band on the road all year long. Don't miss us!


IRELAND 2009!!

If you think it would be fun to come to Ireland with me for ten days, you're right! And now is the time to send in deposits for the 2009 tours. I've paired up with an extraordinary tour company - Enchanted Way Tours - so that I can proudly offer you the most authentic, affordable and exciting tours you'll ever find in Ireland! The dates for the 2009 tours are:

May 19th - 28th * Galway, Kerry and Clare * This was the first tour to sell out last year. You'll hear any Irish music fan talk about the music of Doolin, the Dingle peninsula, and Lisdoonvarna. We'll visit all three places. Fabulous music every night, and unforgettable scenery - including the Cliffs of Moher. This is the "best of the west" tour - the real Ireland!

June 27th - July 6th * Sligo, Donegal, Derry * This tour of the remote areas of the northwest coast of Ireland feature some of Ireland's most unusual and breathtaking scenery. We'll start in Yeats country - County Sligo and move on to Donegal - the Slieve League - and Malin Head, the northernmost tip of Ireland - with an optional boat tour to Tory Island. We'll also see the great city of Derry, the Bloody Sunday museum, the fantastic murals - and spend a wonderful evening at Sandino's pub.

August 25th - September 3rd * Galway, Dublin, Clare * - By popular demand, we've added a tour that includes Ireland's wonderful capital city, Dublin. This is a perfect tour for a first time visitor to Ireland. This extraordinary value also includes six nights in the west, where we'll see the Cliffs of Moher and hear great music every night.

The cost of these tours is $1950 per person based upon double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, all accommodations, all breakfasts, three dinners, and admission to many special events. The single supplement cost is $300. (You still have to purchase your airfare, travel insurance, lunches, and the other 6 dinners.) It's an incredible value. You'll find the accommodations charming and comfortable. Our 24 seat luxury coach is small enough to navigate the wee byways of the countryside. Our tours are flexible and designed to accommodate your needs and wishes. We'll pick you up and return you to Shannon airport.

I'm also pleased to report that your tourist dollar will go much further in Ireland than it did in 2008. First deposit of $500 is due by December 31, 2008. These tours will fill up quickly. Please drop me a line at anne@annefeeney.com, or call me at 412-877-6480 if you'd like to come with me. I'll be happy to answer all of your questions.


2009 School of the Americas Vigil






The annual vigil outside the School of the Americas in Columbus, GA drew 20,000+ demonstrators calling for the closing of our taxpayer-funded school of assassins. In the last election 35 congressional supporters of this school lost their seats. The mood was very optimistic that this could be the last year that this shameful institution is in existence. Write Barack Obama and ask him to close the School of the Americas (also known as WHINSEC).

And, as Pete Seeger says, "It's the singingest movement since the civil rights movement." Pat and Sandy Emma's Revolution were on hand, as were Chris Chandler, Charlie King and Karen Brandow, Joe Jencks, Rising Appalachia, Elise Witt, Colleen Kattau, the Chestnut Brothers, Los Vicios de Papa, Steve Jacobs, Mary Shapiro, Vientos del Pueblo, Francisco Herrera and Jon Fromer ... Chris Inserra's amazing organizing skills bring it all together and Maurice Turner's trumpet is awesome! Check out the SOAWatch website for more information.


FOLK LEGEND ODETTA DIES

Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century, has died. She was 77. Odetta died Tuesday of heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, said her manager of 12 years, Doug Yeager. She was admitted to the hospital with kidney failure about three weeks ago, he said. In spite of failing health that caused her to use a wheelchair, Odetta performed 60 concerts in the last two years, singing for 90 minutes at a time. Her singing ability never diminished, Yeager said.

"The power would just come out of her like people wouldn't believe," he said. With her booming, classically trained voice and spare guitar, Odetta gave life to the songs by workingmen and slaves, farmers and miners, housewives and washerwomen, blacks and whites. First coming to prominence in the 1950s, she influenced Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and other singers who had roots in the folk music boom.

The rest of the obit is at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gBqnIyFhSolTj4oJA6syBErZnlTwD94R35NO0

RNC Protestors still facing ridiculous charges!

Jim Page's song, "This is How the War Came Home" is a great introduction to what really happened in St. Paul during the Republican National Convention. You can help. Visit http://rnc08arrestees.wordpress.com/


FAMILY NEWS & DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS

December 2nd - Benjamin Mumphrey, Dec 6th - Olivia Grefenstette, Dec 11th - Mick Madera, December 12th - Dennis McCahill.

On my way home from Georgia, I stopped in Aiken, SC to visit my Aunt Claire O'Connor. She was 88 years old this past June 4th. She was very happy to see me. We sang some old songs together, looked at all the family pictures - I brought her a gorgeous photo from Dan and Monique's wedding.

She is considerably more frail than when my sister and I surprised her on her 87th birthday, but still in remarkable spirits. You can drop her a card at:
Claire O' Connor - Eden Gardens
1385 Silver Bluff Road, Aiken, SC 29803

My son Dan and his wife, Monique Murad, leave for Quito, Ecuador in the early days of January, 2009. Monique has a fantastic job with USAID, and Dan will be finishing his last semester of law school in Ecuador. The State Department is sending a moving company to pack up all their wedding presents and Craig's List furniture for shipping on December 30th. They'll be living in a hotel until their departure on January 3rd or 4th of 2009. Quito has San Francisco-like weather, and, from all accounts, is a beautiful city. I hope to get there for a visit in the coming year.

My Texas tour this month will allow me to visit my daughter Amy at her new house in San Marcos, TX - I can't wait to see it. She got a great deal on the place, and she's in the process of creating a wellness center there - massage, accupuncture, sauna... sounds great!!


My cousin Jack Metcalfe, who lives in Germany, just sent this wonderful link to his son Patrick's band performance - he's the keyboard player and there's a great close-up at 2:40

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=ccnzGF7KuOo




One of last month's highlights was almost 5,000 miles of touring with my longtime friend Charlie King around New England and down to Fort Benning. Charlie is a great travel companion - he share my love of jokes, so we exchanged MANY of them on the trip.

He's a wonderful songwriter and a great performer. Check out his website http://charlieking.org







THE TOUR

Anne Feeney

Friday, December 5th, 2008 7:00 PM House Concert with Anne Feeney & the Ornery Duffers Stephanie or Jason 1304 Cedar Drive Kerrville, TX 78028 830-257-8179 Price: $15 Doors open at 7:00, show promptly at 7:30PM ... Email perryfam@ktc.com - call or email Stephanie or Jason to reserve a seat. Snacks, chairs, beverages welcome. Possible jam afterward. Bring musical instruments if you like.

Saturday, December 6th, 2008 7:00 PM Anne Feeney in Concert Danny Yeager's house 1211 Haley Place College Station, TX (979) 777-8758 http://www.brazosprogressives.org/articles/anne_feeney_concert Price: $10-20 suggested Doors open at 7 and the concert will start at 7:30. It's BYOB and bring potluck snacks to share. $10 - $20 sliding scale -- pay what you can. Children are welcome and enter for free. Email touchst@cy-net.net or phone (979) 777-8758 for information and seat reservations.

Sunday, December 7th, 2008 7:00 PM House Concert The Compound 301 Saltillo St San Marcos , TX 78666 503-737-8490 Price: $15 suggested jesseotis@hotmail.com for more info...

Friday, December 12th, 2008 8:00 PM Anne Feeney and the Ornery Duffers Cassidy's Irish Pub 601 N Water St Corpus Christi, TX 78401 (361) 879-0534 http://www.cassidysirishpub.com

Saturday, December 13th, 2008 8:00 PM

Anne Feeney and the Ornery Duffers
Cassidy's Irish Pub
601 N Water St
Corpus Christi, TX 78401
(361) 879-0534
http://www.cassidysirishpub.com

SPECIAL READING OF BURIED: THE SAGO MINE DISASTER

SPECIAL READING OF BURIED: THE SAGO MINE DISASTER



Jerry Starr has been passionate about theatre and human rights all of his life. In 2006, he wrote BURIED: THE SAGO MINE DISASTER to illuminate the costs to worker health and safety of corporate greed unrestrained by government public interest regulation. BURIED is not a political screed, but an intimate portrait of the victims, survivors, corporate and government officials involved in the event in their very own words, as taken from hearings and interviews. It makes matters of life, death and grief personal in ways that are poignant, educational, and even amusing. BURIED was produced to excellent reviews in San Diego in 2007 and IUP in 2008.



In September, Jerry, 67 years old, although a nonsmoker, was advised that he had stage four lung, brain and spine cancer with only months to live. He shared this with his theatre friends, director Marci Woodruff and Mark Clayton Southers, Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company where Jerry had served as Managing Director. As a tribute, Mark decided to produce a staged-reading of BURIED on November 9 (8 pm) at the CLO Cabaret (Theatre District in the Cultural District.)



My friend Marci Woodruff has agreed to direct BURIED. For Jerry’s support, Marci recommended the Cancer Caring Center, an organization that had helped her and so many others in this community deal with this dreaded disease. So, the proceeds from BURIED are dedicated to support the excellent work of the Cancer Caring Center.



Actors donating their time and talent include Doug Mertz, Karen Baum, Bruce Hill, Debra Gordon and Ken Boldon. Fabulous music will be provided by Jack Erdie and Sue Powers. A suggested donation of $25 includes a post-show reception and can be made through the Center at 412-622-1212 or info@cancercaring.org .



The Cancer Caring Center is a local charity that has been providing free emotional support services to cancer patients and families since 1988.